John Quincy Adams July 11, 1767 - February 23, 1848 Political Party: Republican Presidential Period: 1825-1829 Vice President: John C. Calhoun
Thesis: John Quincy Adams was a very intellectual man, and arguably one of the most intelligent presidents America has ever had. However, he was not the appropriate man for the role of the American presidency. J.Q. Adams came across to many as a lazy individual, and he found his way into office on something that Jackson and his followers would later call the “corrupt bargain”, starting off his presidency with a fouled name already. He went further to prove himself negligent to the needs of the people through some of his proposed ideas for federal spending and also had a harsh personality that few of his peers ever truely warmed up to. However, he did a lot of work for unity of the nation and created many jobs for the middle and lower classes through these ordeals. For all of the reasons stated above I would give John Quincy Adams a B- for his efforts as the sixth president of the United States of America.
Goals for Office:
John Quincy Adams was a prominent nationalist in an era of extreme sectionalism. Because of these strong nationalistic views, Adams had many goals for the nation. One of his most prevalent goals was to create unity between the different sections of the nation. For example, in order to boost trade between the sections and create stronger unity between all of the states, he proposed using federal funds acquired through the purchase of lands to construct a series of canals and roads that would move between several states. This goal was realized in 1828 when ground was broken on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and with the construction of the Erie Canal. Also because of these strong nationalistic views, Adams suggested that the government spend more money in the arts and sciences, so as to possibly make America a leading power in these endeavors as well. Specific measures he suggested included the building of a federal observatory and university. With the construction of these things an education could be provided for some of the prominent people in America and our understanding of the stars could be greatly improved, giving us an edge on other countries in the world doing the same thing. All of Adams goals were incredibly noble and probably would have worked had he had the support of the country. Adams was a nationalist president over a country of sectionalist citizens, thus many of his ideas were frowned upon by the majority at the time. The people of the time even thought some of his ideas were unconstitutional, hurting his reputation further and lessening his chances even more for a chance of reelection.
Congressional Relationship:
From the very beginning Adams' relationship with congress was very poor. The congress of the time was highly divided between supporters of Jackson and supporters of Adams. Jackson's supporters may have been more willing to come across the political aisle if it had not been for the "corrupt bargain" that put Adams into office in the first place. The "corrupt bargain" was a highly controversial issue of the time. This was when Henry Clay, supporting Adams' political agenda and platform more than that of Jackson, voted in favor of Adams for president when a tie was reached for the role of president. Clay was then appointed Secretary of State, what had once been seen as a sure way into the presidency, by Adams much to the dismay of Jackson's supporters. From this point forward Jackson's supporters greatly opposed most every action that Adams' attempted to put through Congress. This was evident when he proposed the national observatory and university. Adams also, already on bad terms with the followers of Jackson, refused to appoint new people of his own party to political office. This frustrated his own followers and made it even more difficult for his legislative measures to be passed through Congress. It led people to think that he was lazy, or did not care, but it may also be seen as an attempt to promote true Democracy in which the voices of all factions are heard, not just the voices of his own.
Positive Outcomes of the John Quincy Adams Administration:
Adams administration was noted as a negative one by most historians since he was in office. However, there are no presidents that had only negative impacts on the country. With this said, Adams did much for creating union between the states in his time. One way he did this was through the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. This canal connected the Hudson River and Lake Erie, making it easier to travel between these two locations and greatly helping commerce. This made it much cheaper to ship goods also, so people were able to purchase goods that they may not have been able to previously because shipping costs had raised goods costs so drastically. It also made it easier for people to travel westward and expand in the country. Another similar, but just as notable outcome was the beginning of the C&O Canal. The construction process was a social program that created many jobs for Americans and immigrants both skilled and unskilled. There were so many jobs in fact that not all of them could be filled and it caused wages to go up substantially. Naturally, as people would be staying in the region in order to see the completion of the project, the workers needed to eat and needed lodging, thus boosting a need for farmers and inns in the region. This project could be compared to many of the best projects put into effect by the New Deal programs of FDR, who in my opinion was the greatest president our nation has ever known. And of course, just as the Erie Canal had several years previously, it aided the regional economy and made travel simpler for the common man.
Negative Outcomes of the John Quincy Adams Administration:
As stated above there were many negative impacts of Adams' Administration. The most noteworthy of these was by far the "Tariff of Abominations" as it was carried into the Jackson presidencies. The tariff was put into effect in order to boost the northern economy further, by putting large taxes on all foreign imports. For the North this was a wonderful tax, as it made a market for American goods, and it fell right into line with Adams' nationalistic ideals. However, as beneficial as it was to the north, it was just as detrimental to the South. The South relied on these foreign imports because they did not have a lot of industry as they were an agricultural economy. So they still bought the foreign imports at highly raised prices and even forced South Carolina into nullification. This tariff was a horrible way for Adams' administration and destroyed any chance he had at reelection.
Conclusion:
In full, John Quincy Adams did have some successes during his presidency, and did create many jobs for struggling Americans. His tariff hurt the American North-South relations but he saw it as necessary for the success of American industry, in the North that is. Adams was a president that was different from his constituents in political beliefs, but he did what he thought was best for the American people. For these efforts I award John Quincy a B-, as the sixth president of the United States of America.
John Quincy Adams
July 11, 1767 - February 23, 1848
Political Party: Republican
Presidential Period: 1825-1829
Vice President: John C. Calhoun
Thesis:
John Quincy Adams was a very intellectual man, and arguably one of the most intelligent presidents America has ever had. However, he was not the appropriate man for the role of the American presidency. J.Q. Adams came across to many as a lazy individual, and he found his way into office on something that Jackson and his followers would later call the “corrupt bargain”, starting off his presidency with a fouled name already. He went further to prove himself negligent to the needs of the people through some of his proposed ideas for federal spending and also had a harsh personality that few of his peers ever truely warmed up to. However, he did a lot of work for unity of the nation and created many jobs for the middle and lower classes through these ordeals. For all of the reasons stated above I would give John Quincy Adams a B- for his efforts as the sixth president of the United States of America.
Goals for Office:
John Quincy Adams was a prominent nationalist in an era of extreme sectionalism. Because of these strong nationalistic views, Adams had many goals for the nation. One of his most prevalent goals was to create unity between the different sections of the nation. For example, in order to boost trade between the sections and create stronger unity between all of the states, he proposed using federal funds acquired through the purchase of lands to construct a series of canals and roads that would move between several states. This goal was realized in 1828 when ground was broken on the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and with the construction of the Erie Canal. Also because of these strong nationalistic views, Adams suggested that the government spend more money in the arts and sciences, so as to possibly make America a leading power in these endeavors as well. Specific measures he suggested included the building of a federal observatory and university. With the construction of these things an education could be provided for some of the prominent people in America and our understanding of the stars could be greatly improved, giving us an edge on other countries in the world doing the same thing. All of Adams goals were incredibly noble and probably would have worked had he had the support of the country. Adams was a nationalist president over a country of sectionalist citizens, thus many of his ideas were frowned upon by the majority at the time. The people of the time even thought some of his ideas were unconstitutional, hurting his reputation further and lessening his chances even more for a chance of reelection.
Congressional Relationship:
From the very beginning Adams' relationship with congress was very poor. The congress of the time was highly divided between supporters of Jackson and supporters of Adams. Jackson's supporters may have been more willing to come across the political aisle if it had not been for the "corrupt bargain" that put Adams into office in the first place. The "corrupt bargain" was a highly controversial issue of the time. This was when Henry Clay, supporting Adams' political agenda and platform more than that of Jackson, voted in favor of Adams for president when a tie was reached for the role of president. Clay was then appointed Secretary of State, what had once been seen as a sure way into the presidency, by Adams much to the dismay of Jackson's supporters. From this point forward Jackson's supporters greatly opposed most every action that Adams' attempted to put through Congress. This was evident when he proposed the national observatory and university. Adams also, already on bad terms with the followers of Jackson, refused to appoint new people of his own party to political office. This frustrated his own followers and made it even more difficult for his legislative measures to be passed through Congress. It led people to think that he was lazy, or did not care, but it may also be seen as an attempt to promote true Democracy in which the voices of all factions are heard, not just the voices of his own.
Positive Outcomes of the John Quincy Adams Administration:
Adams administration was noted as a negative one by most historians since he was in office. However, there are no presidents that had only negative impacts on the country. With this said, Adams did much for creating union between the states in his time. One way he did this was through the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825. This canal connected the Hudson River and Lake Erie, making it easier to travel between these two locations and greatly helping commerce. This made it much cheaper to ship goods also, so people were able to purchase goods that they may not have been able to previously because shipping costs had raised goods costs so drastically. It also made it easier for people to travel westward and expand in the country. Another similar, but just as notable outcome was the beginning of the C&O Canal. The construction process was a social program that created many jobs for Americans and immigrants both skilled and unskilled. There were so many jobs in fact that not all of them could be filled and it caused wages to go up substantially. Naturally, as people would be staying in the region in order to see the completion of the project, the workers needed to eat and needed lodging, thus boosting a need for farmers and inns in the region. This project could be compared to many of the best projects put into effect by the New Deal programs of FDR, who in my opinion was the greatest president our nation has ever known. And of course, just as the Erie Canal had several years previously, it aided the regional economy and made travel simpler for the common man.
Negative Outcomes of the John Quincy Adams Administration:
As stated above there were many negative impacts of Adams' Administration. The most noteworthy of these was by far the "Tariff of Abominations" as it was carried into the Jackson presidencies. The tariff was put into effect in order to boost the northern economy further, by putting large taxes on all foreign imports. For the North this was a wonderful tax, as it made a market for American goods, and it fell right into line with Adams' nationalistic ideals. However, as beneficial as it was to the north, it was just as detrimental to the South. The South relied on these foreign imports because they did not have a lot of industry as they were an agricultural economy. So they still bought the foreign imports at highly raised prices and even forced South Carolina into nullification. This tariff was a horrible way for Adams' administration and destroyed any chance he had at reelection.
Conclusion:
In full, John Quincy Adams did have some successes during his presidency, and did create many jobs for struggling Americans. His tariff hurt the American North-South relations but he saw it as necessary for the success of American industry, in the North that is. Adams was a president that was different from his constituents in political beliefs, but he did what he thought was best for the American people. For these efforts I award John Quincy a B-, as the sixth president of the United States of America.
Bibliography:
Kennedy, David M., Cohen, Lizabeth, Bailey, Thomas A.. The American Pageant. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 2002.
"John Quincy Adams (1767 - 1848)". Miller Center of Public Affairs. 3/2/10 <http://millercenter.org/academic/americanpresident/jqadams>.
"John Quincy Adams". The White House. 3/2/10 <http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/johnquincyadams>.
Summers, Robert. "John Quincy Adams". POTUS-Presidents of the United States. 3/2/10 <http://www.ipl.org/div/potus/jqadams.html>.
Sadowski, Frank. ""Clinton's Big Ditch"". Erie Canal Organization. 3/2/10 <http://www.eriecanal.org/>.
"The Building of the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal". C&O Canal Organization. 3/2/10 <http://www.nps.gov/nr/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/10c&o/10facts3.htm>.